Mediocre drama
this drama is so overrated like seriously I started watching it because of all of the hype from TikTok to ended up watching boring show with a pathetic ML and FL seriously a 34 dude acting like teenager.. getting angry for nothing ( you don't love me than fine don't talk to me than I can't response to your call 😒 ) a FL is so immature and hella loud she's not better than him .... even if you're childhood friends we don't Bicker like this is not even funny it's childish... for someone who have in family with stomach cancer and has removed a part of it it's impossible that she can eat that much .....i skipped alot of it i was dying from bordioum one of the worst drama this Year! Mediocre drama...and the fandom is so pathetic anyone who doesn't like the drama are their enemy ...I said I don't like the ml acting they strated to attack me like their Life depand on it 😒. ..you have the right to love it as you like and I have the right to hate it as much as I want...Was this review helpful to you?
Such a disappointment of a potentially good drama.
You know what’s crazy I know these actors can act. I’ve seen Jung Hae In provide a stellar performance before, and I’ve watched Jung So Min have so much chemistry with Seo In Guk in The Smile Has Left Your Eyes that they make guest appearances together in new shows years later. But this isn’t hate toward the actors, it’s hate toward the script or directors because the episodes are just too long and too slow. It feels like nothing is happening and everyone is running around in circles. We got so much of Seunghyo’s pov so we know how much he likes Seok Ryu. But we hardly get any perspective of Seungyho from Seok Ryu’s pov.I’m pretty sure we are shown one glimpse of her when she was a kid saying that she liked him, but that is genuinely it. Like their confessions lacked sincerity and if you’ve watched enough dramas I feel like you can tell they’re just following a script if that makes sense. There’s no casual skinship that a normal real couple would have. And jumping to marriage when we’ve barely even seen them date just feels jarring. It looks like Seok Ryu is just reluctantly accepting his feelings and only confides the truth when something huge happens to Seunghyo or when it’s convenient for her. Like her confession to this boy that’s been in love with her for years, is simply “I realised I’m bored without you for like a day so we might as well date”. And just the main thing is NOTHING IS HAPPENING IN THIS SHOW. The plot doesn’t move forward and no one learns from their mistakes. The two dads have the most chemistry out of everyone.
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Its like eating a communion wafer
This is the most Bland drama that I've watched this entire year.There are multiple plot twists that have no payoff and hold no bearing over the story.
You'll be told the most sad or depressing thing about a character only to find out in an episode or two they'll be fine and it never really mattered anyways.
Its strange.
Relationship takes FOERVER TO GET GOING. Too much back and forth and the side stories were not compelling.
I feel like the show would have felt fresh and mature maybe like 10 or 20 years ago.
But we know how childhood romance dramas go, we've seen a hundred and this was one of the blandest.
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Lovable characters —lackluster story
I finally finished love next-door and I had high hopes for this one and unfortunately it disappointed me. I’m sorry please don’t hate me but I think I’m only gonna rate it a 6.5-7 out of 10.The storyline was dry. I felt like they could’ve done a lot more with the characters. The only saving grace was the second couple and the writers didn’t even flesh that out as much as they could’ve. The finale was completely drawn out for no reason because it was very anti-climatic.
Don’t get me wrong this story had some
Lovable characters (Dan Ho, Mo- Eum, yeon du, the lavenders, the dad 🥹) it’s just the story could’ve been better.
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This review may contain spoilers
Illness as the redemption arc
"Love Next Door" follows the story of two best friends, Seok Ryu and Seung Ho, who grew up together. However, as life became busier, they gradually distanced. Their paths cross again when Seok Ryu returns to the country, rekindling their connection.My review is kind of a reality check because Oppa couldn't distract me this time xD
How illness was magical bandage to all the problems:
1. Yeon Du gets a fever and collapses, and suddenly Dan Ho realises his mistake and responsibilities.
2. Poor Seok Ryu has to go through cancer just for her family to finally notice her and have their big emotional redemption arc. It’s as if a regular sickness wouldn’t have been tragic enough to get them to care. It had to be something huge.
3. The younger brother gets priority treatment because he was sick as a kid, and that status never seems to expire. It's not wrong but neglecting the other kid ain't fair either.
4. Then there’s the ML’s mom, whose short-term memory loss from stress is what finally forces them to have a real conversation about marriage. Because talking it out normally? was difficult for the writers:D
5. And, of course, the ML has to get injured at work for the FL SAY OUT LOUD her true feelings.
It’s funny how illness and injury are like the secret sauce to fix everything in this drama.
Things that consistently pissed me off?
1. Her mother. There's a fine line between suggesting a career path and straight-up forcing someone to return to a place they've repeatedly said, in language clear enough for even a toddler to get, they don't want to go back to. But no, she just had to be so persistently annoying about it, like her hearing was selectively off every time Seok Ryu said, "No thanks."
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, we get one episode—one—where she magically redeems herself, only to snap right back to her old ways immediately after. Classic. She continues treating Seok Ryu like she's a clueless 18-year-old, completely ignoring the fact that her daughter has probably figured out a thing or two about life by now. But nah, in mom’s eyes, she's still too young to know anything worth listening to.
The father was the only sane person in her family, but overly dramatic but I guess it was needed for his character.
2. Okay So I love Jung Hae In but his character, UHMMM, I'm not really a fan.
The first incident, when he was walking behind her and she started running because she thought she was being followed by a stranger—why was his response, "You should've looked back"? BROTHER, YOU COULD'VE SAID IT'S YOU OR CALLED HER NAME! What's with the victim blaming? 😭
Then, when Seok Ryu was sick, she tried to reach out to him sooo many times. Forget friendship, it was basic human decency to pick up at least once. Like, they've known each other for at least 10 years—what kind of dickhead behavior is that? I'm sorry, but if you were her friend, you would've put aside your feelings and at least reached out to her once. I SAID WHAT I SAID. They weren't even on bad terms! She has a boyfriend; I will never understand this kind of ghosting. It's not like she was even aware of his feelings, wtf. FELT SOO IMMATURE and then he hits you with a "I should've reached out to you sooner" shit smh.
3. Seok Ryu's ex coming back was the worst and most saddening thing for me. Like, what was even the point of him? I honestly felt bad for the guy. He wasn’t wrong to feel what he felt and to be in that depression mode—he was taking care of everything alone. Her family had no idea, but he was there, and it’s sooo pathetic how at the start it almost leaned toward him cheating on her. Messed up. And then Seok Ryu keeps him around without giving him a proper rejection or any real confrontation.
Things I liked
1. Seok Ryu sucked at being honest about her feelings and emotions, which is sooo relatable as the older sibling. I literally cried for her :( I liked how she finally found her dream.
2. Mo Eum? She’s soooo straightforward and easily the vibey person throughout the whole show—I loved her! Her bond with Yeon Du, I lovedd it so much.
3. One of the things I also liked was the ladies' group. That was one wholesome friendship, and all the ladies were so cutesy.
Honestly, the last few episodes were a bit of a dud. Nothing really happens! And that unnecessary fight between the aunties? Like, WHY was that even a thing:d
Overall, nothing stood out to me. Sure, the corporate culture and work-life stress were highlights, but beyond that... meh. The leads are cute, but that's about it.
Thank you for reading my review:D
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Absolutely Disappointing and Annoying
This is another disappointing KDrama that I have seen. The storyline is horrendous and the FL is very annoying. I do not understand how a man can love a woman who screams at people, kicks others and throws her shoe at him. This is so disrespectful it is not funny. In the majority of cultures in the world, this is unacceptable. The FL’s English intonation is some of the worse I have heard. The entire premise of the story does not warrant 16 episodes. They could have ended everything in four episodes. The ML’s character is very pathetic and childish and borders to the point of being considered a loser. The FL’s character attitude is so schizophrenic - meaning that she can shout and scream, be aggressive and physically abusive to the ML but when it comes to other situations, she is quiet as a mouse. I also hate her dishonesty. The writers could have done a better job in this day and age of writing better and more realistic storylines. I also find that kdramas pretend that characters do not sleep together after being in a relationship for several years and that is so unrealistic and moronic. All these thirty something year old virgins - so laughable. Don’t waste your time to watch this.Was this review helpful to you?
No
Should you watch this drama? No.Is the plot interesting? No
Was this drama comedic like it states it is? No
Did the leads have romantic chemistry? No
Basically, this drama has absolutely nothing to offer as a romantic comedy. TVN should have given this drama 12 episodes, since clearly the writer and director had no idea what direction they were going. The same two people who created hometown cha cha cha, giving us the worst drama of 2024? Unbelievable. I am convinced the people who enjoyed this drama are either fans of the actors, but so am I, and will love any drama with romance and a hot kiss scene. It is indeed my opinion that they are all in denial about what a huge disappointment this was, but I believe one day they will accept how bad it truly was when the actors go on to be in an actual romantic comedy that is good (fingers crossed!).
Jokes aside, your time is precious, and this drama is way too boring and wishy washy for you to spend hours watching it. the writer wrote the FL and ML in such a weird way. In the beginning, the ML really hated the sight of the FL, and somehow the viewers are supposed just to accept it when he actually has always been in love with her? The FL on the other hand, never seems to ever like the ML in a romantic way, its kind of like she just feels sorry for him and gives in to the thought of being with him. Oh, and apparently they're both in their mid-thirties, but show absolutely no signs of it. The way they acted in high school and in the present is the exact same...
All in all, you are better off closing your eyes and dreaming of Jung Haein in your dreams than watching this. I'm sure your subconscious brain would come up with a better romance.
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This review may contain spoilers
WHAT'S WITH THAT FINAL???????????
???????????????????? nothing else to say, where's my wedding, like Seunghyo and Seokryu wedding or Meoum and DanhoIt wasn't necessary another ep but felt like 45 minutes of this last ep could be from 15th, they should've give a better close to this drama. I think overall it was a really good drama, I fell in love with Haein again after a long time but didn't like the last idk 15minutes of the end.
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Slow comfort?
Well, the sub-genre of the show is not new. Like welcome to samaldari . Problems in life, kids come back home, they have a village full of support system. Everyone has their own problems and grudges, and everyone gets angry at each other and solve each others problems, sticking to each other when times get tough.Considering that the title if "love next door", and one assumes that it is romantic and not famial love or community warmth, i feel like this drama really decenters the main leads romance. I would rather say that they main leads are each others support system. The romantic feelings dont really come out till even ep 6 or 7. and nothing productive happens about it, even 2 sided acknowledgement till ep11. This drama is slow burn ultra pro max.
Its not bad at all, there are many sub-plots and the side characters are all of veteran actors who we've all seen somewhere before.
One may want to watch it for its community warmth, but the drama was too melodramatic for me to be healing. Im sorry but i dont consider alzhimers (probably), or cancer or even the threat of those looming around be an environment that i could relax in. Both our ML and FL have their own set of family issues to deal with. Distance in marriage, lack of work life balance, financial stress, health issues, inferiority complex in male breadwinner. And while i think that regret among family members (parents) was shown, it was too wishy-washy, abrupt and swept under the carpet. It didnt have that feeling of catharsis at all. The moment such situations happened, the tone of the drama suddenly lightened up, out of nowhere. And when your finally beginning to laugh and have fun, ur hit again with something sad, that cant be taken lightly. It all gave a whiplash and stressed me out. The pacing is also very slow. I found myself skipping large parts ahead. There was a lot of filler content.
Things i liked:
-the ML and FL's acting. Like i said, the main leads go through a lot, or express and admit that they have been through trauma, and the other appears to be there for the other (there is span where the ML is going about being very rude to the FL but for the sake of writing something +ve we're gonna overlook that).
-The FL bff. The 2nd leads? I was actually more invested in their romance. the 2FL is also very level headed character, as a member of audience sometimes her dialogues were my thoughts. I also really liked how they put a light focus on her work as a paramedic. It was cool. Paramedics are cool.
-Lavender group or suk sisters. They were cute.
You should watch if:
-You are new or ok with the tropes of this sub genre.
-Are ok with very slow almost non existent romance.
Its actually not bad at all, theres nothing majorly problematic. I just found the way they went about various challenges extremely distasteful. If the cast hadnt been so good at acting, and i hadnt seem shorts gushing about this drama i wouldve dropped it at ep 1. I wished they couldve focused more on such family issues which they put in so much large qty in the drama with some depth , and added some nuance and resolution.
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Another bad k drama
People giving this a ten rating are crazy. Its one of the worst shows I've watched this year. The show has some good actors, but not 1 of them is putting on a good performance. I can't really blame them as the story is garbage from every aspect; the main lead romance, the second lead romance, the families, the friends, all boring with no chemistry. This year has been really bad for k dramas as the writing and stories have been subpar except for a couple of shows.The male lead is completely unlikable, he's an emotionally stunted jealous child in a grown man's body. Besides his character being poorly written and unlikable, his forced acting is the worst of the bunch. This is the 3rd series I've seen him in and he doesn't have much range in his acting.
The female lead i loved in alchemy of souls, but add her to the list of bad performances.
I'm hate watching now hoping they all end up miserable, except for the daughter of the second male lead as she's the only character i like.
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A+ K-Drama as usual
Brilliant story line, excellent cast and beautiful realistic acting . I’m on episode 6 and I’m so into it but I don’t want to rush it as I’m loving the drama and the cute lead actors who bring the realism to the film that you feel so connected watching it.I prefer kdramas to any other genre. Thanks Korea for giving the world your actors amazing presence in the film industry
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This review may contain spoilers
my expectations were too high...
Once again a really good cast with a weakly written script and flow :( Initially after watching the first few episodes I did not feel like continuing it but i heard reviews saying it was really good so I thought of watching it further. But to me it just got worse...they spent so long on her side of the issues so it felt like when she got together with the ML it was too fast? This could also be due to the lack of FML pov points of liking the ML...And then after they got together suddenly it felt like there was no story to continue so they added the parents fight to give a reason for them to be against their relationship....also the way the FML was just okay to go abroad again (this part i could feel the ML frustration) like girl commit to something esp since the leads barely spent any time together. After awhile i started hoping they should just stay as friends cause the episodes mostly only showed her working.Most of the episodes i watched them cause of the second leads. their story was very cute and fresh. Their characters were unique as well.
Overall this would pass as a regular rom-com not sure why it was so hyped....
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